The West Virginia First Foundation has such great responsibility — and such potential to help the state — the executive director wants to make sure he’s not on his own.
Jonathan Board
“The last thing I think any of us want to be is sort of by fiat or from a high castle, dictating what local decisions need to be made,” Jonathan Board, executive director of the foundation, said on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
“I’ve had the privilege of traveling throughout this state over the last eight or nine weeks since my start, and I’ll tell you region from region, community to community, the need may be the same but the solutions can often be incredibly different.”
So Board is pleased that this week the West Virginia First Foundation established an expert panel made up of leaders from around the state who will provide guidance on strategies to combat the opioid epidemic.
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Furthermore, the foundation this week established an “initial opportunity committee” to get some grant application parameters in shape and moving. That group is meant to support Board, who just became executive director a couple of months ago.
“Ultimately, we’re going to have a really robust engagement model where everyone can access and create some really wonderful partnerships there. But we understand that it’s gonna require a needs assessment ,that’s going to require engineering and software and application, that’s going to take some time,” Board said.
“But the need persists now, literally live in this moment. And so that’s why we want to engage with certain criteria, and that’s where that committee is going to come in and probably look across and talk with the local communities, see what those specific needs are, some of that low hanging fruit throughout that continuum of care, and isolate those and really just start getting getting tools in the hands of boots on the ground.”
West Virginia will have about $1 billion following a number of lawsuits against distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies. The money is still coming in.
The “West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding” lays out the terms for the state and the many counties and cities that may receive a portion of settlement dollars to push back against ongoing drug addiction issues.
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A major portion of the millions of dollars, 72.5 percent, goes to the private, nonstock, nonprofit West Virginia First Foundation, which will now distribute the funding for work toward abating the opioid epidemic in communities around the state.
The money can go to a variety of efforts, but the state has such needs that several members of the board have expressed urgency to get moving.
“I think you can talk with your friends and your neighbors and any West Virginian — because this catches all of us — and and there’s often reoccurring themes, right? We know communities handle this challenge differently because they have to. There are service area deserts where where we don’t have anything, let alone wraparound,” Board said.
“But when you talk with those, there are these these reoccurring themes that that I think we will be able to address in this short term, really focused disbursement model, if that’s what it becomes, and that’s what we’re hopeful that it does become and then we can build out from there.”
The newly-established expert panel includes:
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Treatment
Laura Lander, associate professor in the department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry in the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University.
Prevention
Greg Puckett, a commissioner in Mercer County and as Executive Director of Community Connections Inc.
Recovery & Lived Experience
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Emily Birckhead, executive director of West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences.
Corrections & Reentry
William Marshall, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Systems of Care, Health Policy & Management
Christina Mullins, deputy secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders at the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
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Law Enforcement & Judicial Systems
Jess Gundy, criminal justice program director at the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.
First Responders
Adam Crawford, medical director for the General Division Emergency Department at Charleston Area Medical Center Health System
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
